Little White Lies
by tinyfiereceandsassy
Summary: Inspired by/based off a video of an interview where Chris Messina describes how his family does Thanksgiving.


"We need to leave by 5:30, so I'll pick you up then. Alright. See you soon."

Danny closed the phone and smirked. Sure, maybe Father Owen wouldn't approve of his little white lie, but it was the only way he could get Mindy to leave on time. They had to be out of her place by 6 or he would never hear the end of it from his Ma. Danny figured that by telling Mindy to be ready 30 minutes early, they'd actually depart on schedule. And that was just enough time to get to Staten Island for Thanksgiving Dinner.

* * *

"You're early!" Mindy shrieked, opening the door in a state of undress.

"What – what are you doing?!" Danny shoved her back inside, checking the hallway for any onlookers before slamming the door shut behind him.

Mindy was already spouting off. "What the hell, Danny? You can't just come into my home and bully me back inside! You know, you're really taking this Italian machismo to a new extreme – "

"Min, you can't just go around answering the door half naked!" Danny cut her off, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Relax, Danny. My next-door neighbors are gay, and on the other side is a cat lady. I'm not worried." Danny could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "And anyways, you're a doctor. It's not like you haven't seen a woman's body before."

Danny groaned, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. "Yeah, but not – nevermind. Are you almost ready?" He was alternating between staring at the ceiling and the floor now, jiggling his leg nervously.

Mindy held out her arms. "Does it _look _like I'm almost ready?"

Danny refused to check. "It looked like you need a top and then we're good to go."

"I haven't shaved and none of my makeup is done, Danny!" Mindy replied, pitch indicating that this was obvious.

"Well you look fine without it." Danny glanced down just enough to catch the tail end of her smile. "And you know my family doesn't care if you're all dressed up," he continued, trying to act casual.

Mindy shook her head. "Danny, your mom was nice enough to send me an evite because _you _went and told her that I didn't have anywhere to eat. So now you have to deal with the consequences of your actions," she ended smugly, her voice drifting off as she roamed back into her closet. "And by the way, how does _she_ know how to send evites and you don't? I swear Danny, put you in charge of _one _thing for the Christmas party and all of a sudden everyone's getting sticky notes with '_xmas party. Friday 5 pm. Mindy's_' written on them."

"I just don't see the point in getting technology involved," Danny called back from his seat on her couch. "You gotta design the thing, pick what colors you want, what font – you don't need all of that."

"But it's so unglamorous!" Mindy countered from her closet before emerging. She struck a pose. "So. How do I look?"

Danny turned around and paused, smiling. "Stunning, as always. And like you could eat an entire basket of biscuits."

Mindy froze mid-smile and narrowed her eyes. "Hey! That was _one _time! And I didn't have breakfast or lunch, and I hadn't really eaten the day before –"

"Alright, alright," Danny laughed, motioning for her to stop. "I was just kidding. How much longer til you're ready?"

"I just need to shave and finish my makeup."

"So another hour?"

Mindy swatted Danny's shoulder, turning to complete the rest of her ritual.

* * *

Danny glanced down at his watch. 7:01. They'd made good time, and his plan had worked perfectly. He reached out and rung the doorbell, balancing the Tupperware container full of stuffing on the other hand.

"Danny! My baby! Come here, give your mother a kiss!" Maria Castellano held out her arms and Danny obliged, smothered by her love. She kissed him on the cheeks then pulled back to look at his companion. "And this must be Mindy." She smiled knowingly, glancing at Danny, who had suddenly become very interested in the woodwork. "Welcome." She gathered Mindy up in her own bone-crushing hug, brushing her hair out of her face afterwards. She glanced between the two doctors, clapping her hands. "Let's eat!" Mindy and Danny laughed and followed her into the house.

"Ah, finally! The big city doctors arrive," A burly man from across the table frowned.

"Oh, Anthony, be quiet. They had to work today," shushed a redheaded woman seated next to him. "Hi, Danny. Good to see you again," she smiled, leaning over the table to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Danny shook the man's hands too and gestured to Mindy. "This is Mindy, my colleague."

"Hi, Mindy darling, nice to meet you," the redhead nodded. Mindy nodded back, following as Danny motioned around the table.

"That's my Uncle Anthony, my Aunt Helen, their son Michael and his wife Christie, their son Anthony Jr., my Ma," Danny smiled a bit brighter, "and of course you know my little brother Richie and his boyfriend Ramon."

"Wow. You're such a big family," Mindy noted, dizzied by all the guests.

"Oh, honey. This is barely anything! Just wait until Christmas or Easter!" Maria smiled, the entire table erupting in laughter. "But you'll see later. Now it's time for good food and good company!" She reached behind her for a bowl with little scraps of paper inside. "Before we start dinner, we have to express our thanks. Richie found this little game on Pinterest, and I thought it was just the cutest thing for Thanksgiving." She passed the bowl around until everyone had a slip of paper. "First we write what we're most thankful for." Everyone nodded, taking a second to think before scribbling something down. Michael helped Anthony Jr., and Richie and Ramon giggled over a potential idea.

"Now we all put them in the bowl," Maria instructed, passing it around.

Danny froze. "Wait, what?"

"Put it in the bowl Danny, what's so hard about that?" Mindy asked, holding it out to him.

"I just, uh, I thought we were gonna keep it to ourselves. You know, something special."

"What, you write down Ken Burns, you weirdo?" Mindy teased, jabbing him with the bowl.

"No." Danny replied defensively, then tossed his slip in.

"I think that's everyone," Maria noted, nodding towards her son. "Alright, sweetheart, mix them up and pick one."

Danny gulped, shuffling them around. "What's that?" He whipped his head towards the front door, spilling all the slips in the process.

"Oh, come on!" Anthony Sr. rolled his eyes while Mindy and Danny picked up the papers.

Danny grabbed one and hid it in his hand, coughing as he sat back up. "Sorry everybody. Klutzy moment."

Anthony Sr. grumbled while Danny unfolded his piece of paper. "Go ahead, honey, read what it says," Maria prompted him.

Danny smiled. "It says 'the Yankees'." Everyone cheered, laughing as he handed the bowl to Mindy.

She turned to the hostess and grinned. "Mine says 'sons'."

Maria beamed at Richie and Danny while Michael and Christie looked proudly upon their own child.

"'Leather pants' – Ramon, is this yours?" Richie laughed, turning to his partner.

"Guilty as charged," Ramon replied, shrugging. He reached into the bowl dramatically, drawing out another slip. "'Michael Fassbender?'" His head snapped to his left to look at Richie, who held up his hands in defense. "It wasn't me!"

"That Fassbender _is_ a handsome man," Maria smirked, winking at Mindy.

"MA!" Danny protested.

"What? Your mother can't notice a good-lookin fella every once in awhile? I may be old, but I'm not blind, Daniel," she replied, laughing. She took the bowl and picked next.

"Ramon," Maria announced sweetly, reaching over and patting Ramon's cheek. Ramon smiled back, then leaned over to give Richie a kiss. The table erupted in a chorus of "Aww's" while the two lovebirds remained shy.

"My turn!" Anthony Jr. shrieked, obviously disgusted by the public display of affection. Christie helped him reach in the bowl and unfold the paper. He turned to his mom. "I don't know this word."

"Here honey, I'll read it for you." Christie took the slip from him, opening it and looking confused. "'Retirement'?" Everyone glanced around the table, laughing when Anthony Sr. raised his hand.

"Why didn't you say you were thankful for me! You're so unromantic!" Helen smacked him on his shoulder and folded her arms.

"Women," Anthony Sr. threw his hands in the air, defeated and downing his glass of wine.

Everyone chuckled, laughing and smiling accordingly as the bowl finished it rounds. Before long, they were digging into dish upon dish of stuffing, green beans, turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, biscuits and salad. It was all too delicious and all too much. Danny groaned, full, as he scooted back his chair and stood up, starting to collect plates to bring to the kitchen.

"Here, baby, let me help you," Maria rose from her own seat, grabbing cutlery. She followed behind him, placing the silverware beside the sink. "Oh, honey, you dropped your slip." She reached down to grab it off the floor before Danny could stop her, opening it and reading it. She turned to her son, smiling softly. "Yankees, eh?"

Danny faced his mother, vulnerable. "Please don't tell her, Ma. I'm not ready."

Maria patted her eldest son on the back. "Okay, I won't. But you would do well to remember that life is short and doesn't wait for anyone."

"I know, Ma, I know," Danny rolled his eyes.

"I just want my son to be happy." She patted him on the cheek. "Just don't take too much longer. I can't wait to have her in the family."

"But Ma, you don't even know if she wants – " Maria grinned, walking away before he could finish his sentence. Danny shook his head, tossing the slip into the trash before following after her. Lying on top, it could still be read: _Mindy_.

* * *

**A/N: Okay so I'm not sure if I'm feeling this as a one-shot or a multichap. I wrote it so it can go either way, I think. we'll see if I'm inspired! **


End file.
